Twenty-eight people have been killed and 365 more have been injured in more than a month of anti-government protests that have rocked Venezuela, the country’s top prosecutor told reporters on Thursday, March 13.
The official count came a day after an estimated 3,000 students marched in Caracas, Venezuela’s capital, to mark a month since the demonstrations turned violent when police killed three protestors on Feb. 12 in Caracas.
Police responded to the March 12 Caracas demonstrations as they have for much of the last month: with tear gas, water cannons, and arrests.
Three more Venezuelans died and many were injured in the resulting protest and police battles. A student and a 42-year-old man were killed in Valencia, Venezuela's third largest city, while a National Guard member died in nearby Naguanagua.
In the evening, Venezuelans held vigils for victims of the day's violence. Many took to Twitter to convey their distress. In Valencia, users live tweeted their versions of events. Many expressed frustration with the lack of clear facts on the violence.
#MassacreEnValencia are dying but the Venezuelan dictator is sleeping soundly.
#MasacreEnValencia son Venezolanos los que mueren pero el dictador duerme tranquilo.
#MasacreEnValencia 3 dead and 15 wounded by gunfire (may be more) and paramilitary groups do not allow media to approach the clinic.
#MasacreEnValencia 3 muertos y 15 heridos de bala (puede haber más) y colectivos paramilitares no permiten que medios se acerquen a clínicas
With great pain I beg you do wake #Venezuela and the world with #MassacreEnValencia and be a voice for those without means.
Con el mayor dolor les suplico q hagan despertar a #Venezuela y el mundo con #MasacreEnValencia y sean voz de quienes no tienen medios.
Dissatisfaction with Venezuela’s deteriorating economic and safety conditions have largely fueled the protests. President Nicolas Maduro has censored news and social media on the unrest, which mark Venezuela’s worst political troubles in decades.
